Stornoway is the name of the official residence of the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Canada, and has been used as such since 1950. It is provided in recognition of the opposition leader's position. Located at 541 Acacia Avenue in the Rockcliffe Park area of Ottawa, Stornoway has assessed value $4,225,000 (2008) (based on this value, which is only approximation of market value, the municipal property taxes are calculated) and is maintained with $70,000 a year in government funds. The property has been owned and managed by the National Capital Commission since April 1986. The lot size, with a frontage of 228 ft and depth of 225 ft, is slightly irregular.

Stornoway has served its present role as the Official Opposition Leader's residence since 1950, when it was purchased by a group of concerned citizens and later transferred to the Government of Canada.

Following the 1997 election, when the Reform Party displaced the Bloc Québécois to become the largest opposition party, the new official Opposition Leader, Preston Manning, declined to move in for a different reason: he protested that it was too extravagant and a waste of taxpayers' money, even joking that it should be used as a bingo hall to pay off the national debt.[3] Manning asked that he be provided with a more 'modest' residence, but soon moved into Stornoway after his refusal to do so began to be portrayed in the media as a mark of disrespect for his position as Leader of the Opposition.[3]

Renovations from 2002 to 2006 included an overhaul of the living room and kitchen, repair of the chimney, replacement of carpets, refinishing of hardwood floors, and painting, among other things.

Jack Layton, who had led the NDP to official Opposition status in the May 2, 2011 election, moved in a month later, but stated that he would continue to live in Toronto when Parliament was out of session.[4][5] He died on August 22 of cancer;[6] it was subsequently revealed that Layton and his wife Olivia Chow actually spent just one night in the house.[2] His interim successor as NDP leader, Nycole Turmel, also did not formally move into the house, although she did host a number of official functions there.[7]